Patton admits legacy is damaged

Gov. Paul Patton, in his last year at the helm of the commonwealth, said his legacy of accomplishments could be overshadowed by the scandal that erupted last September.

"I can't affect what the historians remember about me and certainly I know my personal mistakes will be a very, very prominent part of my legacy and I can't change that," Patton said in an interview with The State Journal last week. "Whether or not there will be any attention to the good things that we've done, I don't know whether those will be completely forgotten or not."

The full text of the interview is the Q&A of the Scope section of today's paper. In the interview, Patton said he is "a lame duck, a wounded lame duck, and a good target. I deserve it. And I'm getting it." Still he said he hopes to provide leadership to help get the state out its budget mess.

During the interview Patton talked about the budget crisis, tax reform, his controversial hiring of four Democratic party loyalists at a cost of $275,787, the funding of the Pikeville Civic Center as well as the scandal involving Clinton nursing home operator Tina Conner, with whom Patton had an affair. Conner accused him of abusing his power to harm her facility when the affair ended.